On 16 December, Netflix announced Bytet, a four-part limited thriller series based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Swedish crime writer Stefan Ahnhem. The series, set to launch globally on the platform in 2026, has just wrapped shooting in Sweden and on Sicily.

Set in the Stockholm Archipelago and on Sicily, Bytet follows two couples who agree to swap holiday homes in a desperate attempt to rescue their failing marriages. What begins as a seemingly romantic escape quickly descends into a tense psychological game as doubts, secrets and betrayals surface, raising unsettling questions about trust and identity.

The ensemble cast is led by Emma Appleton (Extraction), Fares Fares (Chernobyl, Eagles of the Republic [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]), Frida Gustavsson (Faithless [+leggi anche:
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scheda series], Vikings: Valhalla) and Jakob Oftebro (The Case, Stenbeck). Fares plays Carl, a Stockholm-based man who, together with his wife, Helene (Gustavsson), exchanges homes with Adam (Oftebro) and Scarlett (Appleton), a couple living in Sicily. As Carl and Helene arrive at their supposed dream villa, small inconsistencies and unsettling details begin to emerge. Meanwhile, Adam and Scarlett settle into Carl and Helene’s striking modern house in the Stockholm Archipelago, where the behaviour of nosy neighbours and unexplained locked rooms fuel growing suspicion. As both couples attempt to reconnect, darker truths slowly come to light.

The series is being directed by Kasper Barfoed and is written by Amanda Högberg, who serves as head writer, alongside Axel Stjärne. Bytet is being produced by Frida Asp and Fatima Varhos for Swedish outfit Asp Varhos.

Commenting on the adaptation, Ahnhem said: “Although I've worked as a screenwriter for 20 years, this is a dream come true. Actually, a dream even better than I dared to dream. With this stellar cast, the compelling script and the power of Netflix, I'm confident that my novel will come alive on the screen as the sharp and intricate psychological thriller so many of us are longing for.”

The release date is yet to be disclosed.